Who is Champuru? 
Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 15 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
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More Champuru
Dot-Com Days
In the days before dot-net.
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Mushroom Chicken
Recipe adapted from Lindy’s Ono Recipes Mushroom Chicken
After I posted this photo to Posterous, someone on Twitter called me the new “iron chef.” Truth be told, my cooking skills are better described as “aluminum.” Due to the hectic nature of today, I decided to make something simple. With little time to cook, I have to use shortcuts. I’d rather use all fresh ingredients, but I end up using a lot of prepared ingredients:
- minced garlic in a bottle
- minced onions from the spice rack
- Costco gourmet mushroom mix (dried – like shiitake – you have to run under hot water, then soak for about 5 minutes to make the mushrooms tender again)
- dried parsley
I’m sure it would taste better had I used fresh mushrooms, garlic, onions, and parsley, but all things considered, this dish turned out surprisingly tasty.
If you’re interested in obtaining the real recipe, check out Lindy’s Ono Recipes. Her local-style recipes are easy and tried-and-tested. Her recipe cards are my go-to stash whenever I need something tasty-delicious to bring to a potluck or when I need to change up my dinnertime menu.
Today I experienced a first, so of course, and I had to tweet about it:
Gargantuan baby poop thwarted Costco run. Subsequent meltdown to get @babychampuru back in her carseat has aborted today’s plans. Back @home
Who knew that poop could end up on the FRONT of baby’s onesie? Reminder: Pack extra clothes for @babychampuru in diaper bag. Live & learn.
Then, the Twitterverse chimed in with sympathy and messages that just made me smile:
So, as the story goes, prior to going to Costco, I stopped off at Long’s to pick up a few small items. When I took Baby Champuru out of her car seat to transfer into her stroller, my nose picked up the telltale aroma of something cooking in her diaper. A quick peek on the side of her diaper confirmed that she was indeed in need of a change.
Knowing that no changing table was available, I hemmed and hawed, wondering how I should change her diaper in the parking lot. Front seat? Back seat? Trunk? Stroller? Then, I saw it: a big, brown stain down the entire front of her white onesie. And of course, no change of clothes in the diaper bag. It was time to go home.
But Baby Champuru had other plans. Already out of her car seat, she was expecting to go somewhere — anywhere but back in her car seat. The primal scream was unleashed and the battle of wills ensued. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead and I attempted to keep an even tone to my voice, struggling to get her to sit in her car seat. I’m sure onlookers probably thought I was abusing the poor baby by the way she was shrieking. Finally, I managed to strap her in and she sulked all the way home.
Thankfully, the mess was confined inside her onesie, but it required a bath and a special load of laundry to be done immediately upon arrival at home.
Whew! What a day. I am sure that I sprouted another gray hair after that episode.
Infant Care Class (July 2008)
I subscribe to Photojojo’s Photo Time Capsule service, which sends me an email twice a month with random photos from my Flickr photostream from a year ago. This week’s time capsule featured photos that I snapped with my camera phone at the Infant Care class that Hubby and I attended together, ultrasound images, and of course, my preggie belly progress.
July 2008
Baby Champuru still in the womb
Aside from the trip down memory lane, it reminds me how much my life has changed in just a year.
A year ago, I was:
- 7 months pregnant
- diagnosed with gestational diabetes
- getting my nails done
- had my maternity photos taken by Lisa Hoang at Windwardskies Photography
- attending Infant Care Classes with Hubby
- interviewing pediatricians in preparation for Baby Champuru’s birth
- purchasing baby furniture
- creating baby registries
- going bon dancing, carrying Baby Champuru in my tummy
- experiencing nighttime leg cramps
- wondering how I was going to keep my toenails trimmed with my belly in the way and not wanting to get a pedicure for fear of inducing labor (foot massage)
- taking half-naked photos of my preggie belly and posting it on the Internet
- getting kicked in the groin from the inside out by Baby Champuru
- wishing I could have an M&M McFlurry
- wondering how having a baby would change us
Baby Champuru out of the womb!
9 months old, July 2009
A year later, I:
- can sing children’s songs aloud without feeling self-conscious
- change poopy diapers without getting grossed out
- wake up from a dead sleep the instant that baby awakens
- make funny faces and sound effects without feeling silly
- appreciate my parents even more
- eat McFlurries with reckless abandon
- am mortified by the half-naked pictures of me on the Internet
- wish we saved our money and didn’t buy a crib or a changing table
- get the beat-down from Baby Champuru from outside the womb
- go bon dancing with Baby Champuru on my tummy
- know who Dr. Sears is
- can eat a meal in less than five minutes and use the bathroom in less than 30 seconds
- can get by on 4-6 hours of sleep instead of 7-9
- read parenting books more than technical manuals
- surf mom blogs more than foodie blogs
- admire my husband and am grateful for how hard he works so I can be a stay-at-home mom
- thank God every day for the miracle of Baby Champuru and pray for guidance to be a good mom and role model for her
Isn’t it amazing how much your life can change in just 12 short months?
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